Life, 1899-05-04 · page 8 of 20
Life — May 4, 1899 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire Analysis This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **"Modern Martyrs"** (top left): A poem by Mary S. Paden mocking wealthy men who claim hardship. The accompanying cartoon shows two well-dressed gentlemen complaining about modern life's difficulties—a satirical commentary on wealthy elites exaggerating their troubles. **"A Story of the East End Slums"** (right): A book review of Richard Whiteing's novel about London poverty. The text criticizes the story for depicting slum life, featuring characters like "Nance" poisoned in a factory. The accompanying illustration ("The Nineveh Millionaires' Club") shows the contrast between wealthy club members and desperate poor outside, with the caption sarcastically asking wealthy members to "lend a hand"—mocking their indifference to poverty. Both pieces satirize class inequality and the wealthy's disconnect from working-class suffering.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
380 Modern Martyrs. > PEAKING of Nero, sighed sbo: “How Much better hath our new world grown! Think of live men to flerce beasts thrown As food, by Cavsar’s orders, now!" A Story of the London Slums. ICHARD WHITEING is a skillful London journalist and leader writer who has mado a closo study of social and economic questions, He has embodied somo of his conclusions in a novel, “No. 5 John Street” (Century Co.). The hero does in tho story what Mr, Wyckoff did in real life—he leaves his comfortable quarters to live in @ four-storied hovel in the beart of a slum, “on half-a-crown a day, and to earn it.” There is nothing dramatic in the tale, but it is interesting because of the characters depicted and the human nature revealed. They aro all a little bit intense, but, then, poverty and toll are not a gay combination, The author has a very serious purpose in view, and he does not jest with it. His slum is not inbubited by vagabonds, but by several grades of hard-working people. ’Tilda, the flower-girl Atcazon, is heroic in her efforts to do her duty to those immediately around her. She ic devoted to little Nance, who is the vietim of slow poisoning in a modern factory. What Mr. Whiteing is driving at is to sbow by bis story that all the evils of No. 5 John Street have their origin in the selfishness at the other end of the social and industrial scale, Nance is poisoned to earn dividends for tho great corporation of which the eminent Sir’ Marmaduke is chairman, ‘A hundred Nances have died to make one day’s triumph for a queon of Hurlingham or a queen of tho Row. . . . And all so needless, even for gain, The swamps might be as gardens, the factories as halls of Hygela, if we would only make up our minds to give Nance and the niggers a little of their due.” The remedy to which the author points is a great spiritualized De- mocracy—" Democracy must got rid of the natural man of each for “Ob, no!” he said, “A simpler gamo Is all our modern Caesar needs; By contract, he embalmed beasts feeds To men, "Tis suro death, just the same!” ,—Mary 8. Paden, s RUBBING IT IN, Real Estate Agent: & PINE PLACE, AXD A SPLENDID ONE POR A GOLP COURSE, @IR. DOES TOUR PAXILT PLAY GoLFT Prospective Buyer: pOe® MY FAMILY PLAY GOLF! mY TWO CONS AT ECHOOL MAVE WON ALI, THE INTERCOLLEGTA’ CHAWPIONSAIPS, MY DACGUTER WINS ALL THE WOMEN’S WANDICAPS, MY WIPE 18 OCT ON THE LINKS EVERY MORNINO BEFORE BREAKFAST, MY WIFE'S MOTHER MAS BROREN ALL THE CLUB RECOMDS, AND THE VERY FIRST WORD MY RABY LEARNED TO #AY Was “PORE.” DOES MY FAMILY PLAY cour! 3” YOU CAN sHow ME A PIECE OF PROPERTY WITT NO POSSIBLE MAZARDS, NO BUNKERS, NOTHING BUT ROCKS, 00DS AND WATER, I'M YOUR Ma’ OBBY : Say, Popsy, what's political economy ? “ Never to buy any more votes than you abso- lutely need.” M RS. WITHERBY: Have you any change? I’m going down town to buy a hat. Witnerny: Here are some bundred-dollar bills, THE NINEVEH MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB. They are all the small change I huppen to have. “LEND 4 HAND HERE, WILL YOU? THE VISITORS’ ALBUM H4S PALLEN ON ALALAZZAR.”